Firefly
by ink.ception
Summary: There were some things in this world that Hotaru would never understand—and whether she liked it or not, he was one of them. [Kakashi/OC]
1. Pride

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto and Naruto Shippuden belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The Hiroshis are characters I have made up for the purpose of this fanfiction._

Beta-read by: _GiuliaZe_

* * *

CHAPTER ONE

_Pride_

* * *

Pride ran like blood through the veins of shinobi. It was the drive behind the driven, the fuel of the fire, the very core of a shinobi's existence. If one did not have pride, then one simply was not a shinobi.

Hiroshi Kamiko was a shinobi.

She did not plead the man to stay when he left her, alone and pregnant. She did not cry, she did not weep, she did not let her face fall. All pictures and clinging memories of him were burned and buried. She would ensure that the man would not be a part of the child's life. The child would not know—would _never _know—of their other maker.

Nine months later, in the humid evening heat, Kamiko gave birth to a baby girl with hair a deep, inky black like her mother's. The girl's eyes, however, were her father's—a swirling mass of dark amber and honey, large and owlish, a stark contrast to the woman's own bright blue eyes. But Kamiko did not waver one bit when the nurse handed over her newborn into her arms as it stared at her with wide eyes unblinking, nor did her voice crack when the doctor asked for the baby's name.

"Hotaru. Her name is Hotaru."

* * *

Hatake Kakashi was a genius. There was no question about it. Even without possessing a kekkei genkai, there was no one like him, not a single child his age that could even _compare._ The moment the five-year-old masked boy stepped into the Academy, everyone knew he wouldn't be there for long. From the way he read through lessons at lightning speed to how he sparred effortlessly against his classmates, everything about him screamed "talent". His inquisitive nature and ability to grasp complex ideas so easily often rendered his own teachers speechless.

Six months later, he was out of the classroom and in the field, and a year after that he was a full-blown chunin. His potential knew no bounds. There was no jutsu too hard, no goal too absurd, no mission left uncompleted. He was the up-and-coming pride of the village, a role model to children and parents alike.

If only his father hadn't committed seppuku.

* * *

The moment she handed over the piece of paper over to her mother, Hotaru knew she was in for yet another hour of lecturing.

_Strategy: E1_

_Applied Studies: E1_

_Kenjutsu: S12_

_Ninjutsu: E1_

_Genjutsu: E1_

_Taijutsu: E8_

"Eighth in taijutsu? Kenjutsu, satisfactory? _Twelfth? _Hotaru! Explain this!"

The six-year-old girl fidgeted in her seat as her mother stared down at her, wrinkled report card in hand. "S-sorry. It's just that I was so busy trying to perfect my taijutsu that-"

"Don't tell me you don't have time to work on everything! You didn't even get first in class for taijutsu. You have plenty of time! If you spent thirty more minutes training every day, you would be first in everything! There is no room for laziness in a shinobi's life, remember that!"

Hotaru's eyes lowered to stare at the floor as she swallowed the growing lump in her throat. "Yes, mother," she muttered quietly.

"Just look at Hatake Kakashi! He graduated when he was five, and he became a chunin when he was six! You're six already!"

Hotaru looked up. "But wait-"

"_What?_" her mother snapped. Hotaru shrunk back into her chair.

"You said that Kakashi's family has no honor and that we shouldn't talk about him because his father failed a big mission and killed himself."

Everyone knew about the incident from three years ago involving the White Fang. The famous shinobi had saved his teammates in turn for failing a mission—an important and rather delicate mission, at that—and killed himself in shame. His own son, Hatake Kakashi, had found him curled up in his own pool of blood, his tanto embedded through his stomach by his own hand.

Hotaru knew the story too well. Her mother had drilled the importance of the shinobi code, and when needed, she used the death of Kakashi's father as a prime example of what _not_ to do as a ninja.

Kamiko narrowed her eyes at her daughter and let out a breath. "All the more reason why you should be doing better than him." She thrust the report card back into her daughter's hands.

"Go train. Don't come back until you've finished. No dinner until then."

* * *

_Swish. Slash._

It always ended up like this, somehow.

Her mother was never satisfied with her rankings. She may have gotten first in four out of six subjects, but as long as she wasn't first in all of them, she would never be satisfied. Not a single word of praise, _ever_, from her mother.

_Ever._

Hotaru wouldn't be surprised if her mother wouldn't be satisfied even _if _she had gotten first in all.

_ Swish._

Kenjutsu and taijutsu were Hotaru's weaknesses. She just wasn't built for physical combat. Her limbs were scrawny, her stature short and meager. Ninjutsu and genjutsu came naturally. Even her sensei acknowledged that the abstract idea of chakra manipulation was something Hotaru was good at. _Gifted_, even.

Not that her mother would ever listen. With every report, it was always the same.

Just more lectures and even more "Kakashi".

_Slash. Slash. Slash._

"Kakashi Kakashi Kakashi." Hotaru hadn't even _met _the boy, and her mom always rambled about how much _better _he was than her, even if his dad had committed the ultimate act of shame. She told her to never talk to or speak of him, and yet she compares him to her, as if it were her _duty _to be better than him.

She would never admit it, but she was jealous of Kakashi. Envious. Envious of his skill, his talent, his ability.

Hotaru had never been a hateful girl. But she couldn't help but wonder.

_Was it possible to hate someone you've never met?_

* * *

The nine-year-old boy stared at the letter in front of him, the wax seal shining in the faint moonlight. His face, hidden by a mask, betrayed no emotion, but his eyes looked as if they could bore holes into the paper.

_Dear Hatake Kakashi,_

_ As of tomorrow, you will be assigned to a three-man cell led by jounin Namikaze Minato. Although you have been able to move through the ranks at an accelerated pace, this is necessary for the structure of ninja in our village. I hope you make the best use of this opportunity and use it to further your skills as well as the skills of others. Please meet up with your teammates and sensei at training ground no. 3 tomorrow at ten._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Hiruzen Sarutobi_

_Sandaime Hokage_

* * *

**A/N: **Well, this is kind of my first fanfiction, so...yeah. That kind of says it all. This chapter is kind of "testing the waters", so to speak, to see if I should go on with this story. I'm actually pretty excited for the way it turned out.

Thanks for reading! Constructive criticism and reviews in general are greatly appreciated.


	2. The Mentor

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto and Naruto Shippuden belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The Hiroshis are characters I have made up for the purpose of this fanfiction._

Beta-read by: _GiuliaZe_

* * *

CHAPTER TWO

_The Mentor_

* * *

He was the first to arrive at the training grounds the next day, ensuring that he would be at the desired location with exactly ten minutes of buffer time.

Kakashi sat down by one of the three tree stumps in the center of the clearing. The sky was a clear blue and the clouds overhead sparse and wispy. He leaned on one of the stumps and crossed his arms, waiting for the others to get there.

A tall blonde man—his sensei, he assumed—was the next to arrive. He walked over to Kakashi, a slight smile on his face, and stood by him. "You must be Kakashi," the man said, extending a hand. The boy took it. "I'm Minato, your sensei." Kakashi said nothing and gave him a curt nod, no emotion expressed on his face.

Nine-years-old and hardened like a true shinobi.

Soon enough, the third member of their team showed up. "Nohara Rin," the girl with a brown bob and purple rectangular marks on her cheeks said as she bowed in front of their sensei. "It's nice to meet you, Minato-sensei!" The blonde man smiled at her, and the two began to talk about the village, her experience at the Academy, overall…small talk.

But Kakashi didn't care for such trivial things like "the weather" or "where to get the village's best dango". No—their fourth and final member was late. Seven minutes and fifty-three seconds late, to be precise.

Fifty-four.

Fifty-five.

Fifty-six.

Then he saw it—him. The boy, black hair a mess, face flushed and orange goggles askew as he ran clumsily into the field, kicking up dirt in his mad dash.

Only one word ran through Kakashi's mind at the sight: _pathetic. _

"A-aha, sorry I'm late everyone! I was busy helping an old woman cross the street with her groceries! My name is Uchiha Obito! Y-yeah…" The boy awkwardly twiddled his thumbs and adjusted his goggles back into place.

Kakashi raised his eyebrows at the boy. He may have had the signature dark hair and eyes that Uchihas possessed, but he certainly didn't _act _like one.

Their sensei was the first one to break the silence. "Nice to have you finally here, Obito." The boy's face reddened ever more slightly. "I'm Minato, your sensei." He looked over at the three kids and pulled out a pair of bells. "Why don't we introduce ourselves first and then start with an exercise?"

* * *

Hotaru was a quiet girl. She followed orders well, did her work well, talked less, listened more. Her mother had entered her into the Academy at the age of four, the youngest in her class. She was pretty mediocre, no kekkei genkai, no abnormal intelligence, just hard, dutiful studying. Even if she weren't the perfect ninja by nature, through nurture she could certainly be—first in class in four out of six skills would have sent any parent over the moon. Her mother had taught her well.

Almost _too _well.

Although she was the desirable model for the diligent student, she lacked some of the vital skills needed to function well in the field. She lacked a backbone, a will of her own. She never thought for herself, never _created _anything of her own_. _The way she thought was too rigid, the basis of her skills were constructed of former knowledge and nothing more.

Her social interactions as well, as seen by her teachers, were nearly nonexistent as well. In her two years at the Academy, she had never really made any friends—she didn't look like she _wanted _any. When asked to work with a partner, she almost always split the work evenly and worked silently on her own portion, never glancing over or talking to her co-worker. There was no collaboration. No teamwork.

Umino Kana wanted to change that.

The day Hotaru was transferred into her class, she knew what she had to do. The girl was too rigid and concrete for her own good. She needed someone to guide her. A mentor. Someone to get her _away _from the classroom and into the field, where she could develop her own way of fighting.

So she went to the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama," Kana bowed to the older man.

"Ah, Umino-san, what can I do for you today?" Hiruzen straightened in his seat and looked down at the woman. "How is little Iruka?"

At the mention of her son, Kana smiled. "Iruka's doing fine. He'll be entering the Academy soon."

The Hokage nodded pleasantly. "That is good. So what brings you here today?"

Kana looked up at him. "Hokage-sama, I have a request to make regarding a student at the Academy."

"Oh?" With a puff on his pipe and a look of interest on his face, he asked, "Which student?"

"Hiroshi Hotaru."

A look of realization crossed the Hokage's face. "Ah, Hotaru. She is a very hardworking girl, no?"

Kana frowned. "Well, that's just the thing. She's very diligent in her studies, but I think all of that has made her…very closed minded about ideas. I think it would be good for her to have a private mentor and maybe work with a team on occasion to help with her social skills. She needs to get away from all the grades and rules of the classroom." Kana paused. "She's been having some trouble with taijutsu and kenjutsu, and lately, I've been wondering if it would benefit her if she focused more on ninjutsu and cultivated her skill in it rather than wasting her time on something that doesn't fit her skill set. She's rather good at manipulating chakra flow. Actually, considering her performance in class, she's genin level already. There is no point in having her stay in the classroom.

"But I think most of all, it worries me how she doesn't think for herself. She has no internal drive. At such a young age, the way she thinks—with no creativity—disturbs me. If it continues on like this, then I don't know what might happen on the field when she's older…"

"Hm," the Hokage muttered. "I hear her mother pushes her very hard to do well in all subjects and places much emphasis on her ranking. She is a good student, but I can see where your concern comes from. I'll look through her records. If what you have said is true, then it would be a good idea to pull her out of the Academy."

Kana looked up to him. "You can find her a mentor?"

He nodded. "I have one in mind. I'll contact you as soon as I've figured it out."

The woman smiled. "Domo arigato, Hokage-sama."

* * *

Hotaru disliked kenjutsu class. It was her weakness, her stain on the report card. But she didn't complain. If she did, her mother would've had her head.

That was enough to make her work hard and shut up.

"Hayate, you're doing great! Perfect stance as always. Anko, stop messing around. Hotaru, relax your hold a bit. You're gripping the end too tight."

Hotaru's small hands tried to loosen their grip on the sword, but when she tried to strike the bag of rice, her arms wavered and the sharp end of the blade slipped. She could never get the sword to cut the bag open.

The sound of pouring rice from her classmates' sliced bags teased her ears, and Hotaru's hands tightened back to its original vice-like grip.

"Okay, everyone! It's time for a break! Set down your swords and head outside. No running!"

The last sentence of their teacher's instructions was ignored as kids quickly streamed out of the classroom, eager for their time outside. Hotaru was the last to exit, carefully placing down her sword and arranging the weapons into a neat pile by her sensei's desk. She was halfway out the door when she heard her sensei call out to her.

"Hotaru."

The small girl spun around to look at her sensei. "Yes, Kana-sensei?"

Her sensei signaled her to walk over to her desk. "What do you think about having a mentor?"

Hotaru blinked at her in confusion. "A mentor?"

The woman nodded. "You're genin level already, Hotaru. I talked to the Hokage, and he agreed to allow you to graduate early. Look, here's your hitai'ate!"

Kana held out a blue forehead protector to the small girl. Hotaru took it in her hands and stared at it for a long moment before deciding to tie it around her bicep. She knotted it tightly, the ends of the tie sticking out. It was almost comical, seeing the wide headband tied around the small girl's skinny arm.

"The Hokage has even gotten someone to train you one-on-one!" Kana continued. "Isn't that great?"

Hotaru fiddled with the long sleeves of her black shirt. "Oh."

Kana looked down at her student. "Is something wrong, Hotaru?"

The little girl furrowed her eyebrows. "When we graduate, aren't we supposed to be placed in a three-man cell? And what about the chunin exams?"

"Oh, if that's what's troubling you, don't worry. Once the next batch of students graduates, you'll be placed in a team with them. As for the chunin exams, if you're ready before the others graduate, there is an open team to compete with."

Hotaru's mouth formed a silent "O" as she digested what her sensei had just told her. "So," she said quietly, "who's going to train me?"

Her sensei glanced at the clock across the room. "He's a chunin. I'll let him introduce himself to you, since he should be here any sec-"

In a silent flash, a boy appeared in front of Hotaru. The little girl stared at him in a shocked curiosity.

_He's so fast…_

"Ah, Uchiha-san! You're right on time."

The boy turned to look at the woman. "It's nice to see you again, Kana-sensei." The woman laughed good-naturedly.

"No need to call me sensei anymore. Just look at you! Eleven years old and my rank already! You've grown so much!"

To that, the boy smiled and blushed slightly, and then turned to look at Hotaru. "I'm guessing you're Hotaru." She nodded, her eyes still wide and staring at the boy. He stuck out his hand and she took it.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Uchiha Shisui."

* * *

Minato looked down at the three genin on the ground, all of them panting and one with a bell clutched tightly in his hand.

Their teamwork was shoddy, decent at best. Kakashi had blatantly manipulated Rin and Obito to distract him for his own personal gain, and the two boys still butt heads even with a common goal. But it was still teamwork nonetheless, and he figured he could work with that.

"You all pass."

* * *

Hotaru trailed behind Shisui as they walked to the training grounds. It had been two months since she had been taken under the Uchiha's tutelage, and everyone could tell that the young girl's skills were blossoming.

Even her mother—who was at first reluctant to have her child pulled out of the Academy and be trained by an eleven-year-old, of all people—couldn't deny her child's progress. She was faster, more flexible, more graceful. Hotaru may not have had the strength to wield a long sword or knock a person down, but her new speed and agility combined with her already above par ninjutsu made her a formidable kunoichi in the making.

She would bring honor to her family and her village.

The pair stopped at the center of the field. Bright red markers were scattered around the training grounds, each numbered from one to ten.

"We're going to go over the body flicker technique today. It's one of my specialties," the Uchiha said as he beamed with pride. Shisui put up a hand sign and disappeared, only to reappear behind Hotaru. "It's a relatively simple technique, but once you get it down, there's all sorts of things you can do with it."

Hotaru nodded, as if to say "Got it."

"Now, the first step when you're preparing to teleport is to focus your chakra. Be completely aware of where you are and where you want to be…"

The little girl concentrated and hung onto every word the older boy said—every order must be followed, every direction completed. Her eyes focused on the seal and her ears caught every word that came from his mouth.

The training may have changed the way Hotaru fought, but it would take something _much_ bigger to change the way she thought.

* * *

He was training alone that day—Kakashi was being _extra_ rude that afternoon and Rin was busy learning medical ninjutsu—when he saw it in the corner of his eye. A flicker of black and blue behind the trees, teleporting from one target to the next.

He snuck over and watched the girl clad in a black long sleeve shirt and blue shorts as she paused, flickered, and appeared at the next red marker. It wasn't really _that_ impressive, _even if_ the girl looked at least two years younger than him. After all, she was only teleporting about ten meters. He could do that too if he tried...extra hard.

Obito was about to turn back to his training when he caught sight of a familiar face, one he saw frequently at the compound complete with unruly black hair like his own, dark eyes, and the Uchiha emblem on his back.

"Shisui! Hey Shisui!" The girl stopped teleporting, her shoulder-length hair still swishing. The older boy turned to Obito who was flailing his arms around, trying to get his attention.

"Obito? Why're you here?"

The younger Uchiha adjusted his goggles and looked over warily at the girl. "I was training and I saw you guys here. Who is that girl anyways?" He could see the girl pout slightly on the side.

"Hiroshi Hotaru. She's my student." He motioned for the girl to walk back over to him. "Obito, meet Hotaru. Hotaru, this is my cousin Uchiha Obito."

"_Eh? _Student? But you're not a jonin! How'd you get a student?"

This time, Hotaru was the one to respond.

"He's my mentor until I'm placed in a team. I graduated early."

"Really?" Obito looked closer at the small girl. "You're kind of young though. Are you any good?"

Hotaru shrugged.

"Okay Obito," Shisui butted in, "maybe you guys can talk some other time. Hotaru and I still have a lot of work to do."

"Ah, okay then Shisui. Hey, you know what would be cool? Maybe Hotaru and I can spar some time! We could train together, how 'bout that? Wouldn't-"

"Obito."

"-that be so cool? I mean then I could totally-"

"Obito."

"-kick ass after that! What do you think, Hota-"

"_Goodbye_, Obito."

The goggle-clad Uchiha raised his hands in the air. "Fine, fine. Always the party pooper, aren't you, Shisui? Well, see you around!"

The moment he was out of earshot, Hotaru turned to her mentor.

"Is he always like this?"

Shisui sighed. "Yeah."

* * *

Hiroshi Kamiko watched from the kitchen as her daughter walked into the house. The young girl's hair was stuck to her forehead with sweat accumulating across her brow, her breathing ragged from training.

Hotaru shuffled slowly into the kitchen, dragging her feet and letting her arms swish around as she walked. However, the moment she saw her mother watching from the stove, the six-year-old immediately straightened and snapped her arms by her side.

Kamiko nodded in approval.

"How far are you from mastering the body flicker now?" she inquired to Hotaru, who was now sitting at the table eating an apple. "Is it getting any faster?"

It was the usual question for the past two months. Her daughter nodded. "I can teleport through a series of five twenty-meter targets now."

"Hm. Make it two fifty-meters by the end of the week."

"But Shisui-sensei said-"

Kamiko ignored her daughter. "When are you going to take the chunin exams?"

Hotaru shrugged. Her answer was the same as always. "I don't know. I guess whenever Shisui-sensei says I'm ready or whenever I get into a team."

"Are you thinking of joining ANBU in a couple of years?"

The small girl furrowed her brow. Her mother had never asked that before.

"ANBU?"

* * *

**A/N: **Shisui's age isn't really mentioned in Naruto other than the fact that he's older than Itachi, so I'm kind of stretching his age to make it fit the plot. I hope you guys don't mind.

I'm going to say this in advance—this story is going to be a slow burner. I'm trying to make their feelings, as well as their reactions to their feelings, as realistic as possible. And with a character as complex as Kakashi, that might take a while.

As for Hotaru, I hope she isn't very Mary Sue-ish. I think you have to keep in mind the fact that she doesn't have any natural talent for much, and that her being number one in subjects in the Academy doesn't always correlate to success out in the field. It's kind of like a book smart person vs natural genius type of thing.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Concrit and reviews are greatly appreciated.


	3. Of Those Born and Dying

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto and Naruto Shippuden belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The Hiroshis are characters I have made up for the purpose of this fanfiction._

Beta-read by: _GiuliaZe_

* * *

CHAPTER THREE

_Of Those Born and Dying_

* * *

In her younger days, Hiroshi Kamiko was what many considered to be a beautiful woman. That is, if you could look past the rough exterior and the hardened, piercing gaze—a gaze that had survived two world wars.

The world of shinobi was a harsh one. Families were torn apart, people grieved, people killed—_children _killed, and slowly but surely their humanity was shred to pieces like paper being torn apart. People died, people_ were_ dying, and if they didn't die in battle then they were being killed slowly, their minds at war with themselves, rotting inside out.

Kamiko was no exception.

Like many other children, Kamiko was left orphaned after the First Shinobi World War. She was six at the time, old enough to remember her parents, but young enough to not fully understand what was going on around her. She was naïve—the precious, docile, fragile doll of her two doting shinobi parents.

Her mother was a fighter, a woman with will. She had gotten her black hair and thin frame from her. She was swift in battle but gentle at home, her rough scarred hands tender when brushing her daughter's hair from her face before she kissed her goodnight.

Her father had never wanted her to become a kunoichi. He wanted his little girl to be safe and sound, away from the torturous experiences and horrifying memories that came with being a ninja. He wanted her to be sheltered, to never see the light leave a teammate's eyes, to keep her smooth skin unblemished of scars and cuts. He didn't want her to go through a _shinobi's _life, the one where she would sell her body for information, kill ruthlessly, and die slowly seeping in her regret. He wanted her to _live_. So for the first six years of her life, Kamiko lived the life of a civilian. Aware of the war, yet unaware of everything that came with it.

But when the bright blue eyes of the pretty girl with the silky black hair locked onto the names of her parents written into the stone of the honored dead, she finally understood what war was. What a shinobi was.

The day her parents died in battle was the day that something in her clicked.

She trained with the remnants of her father's weapon collection and battered trees and kicked at air. She learned to walk on water, to disappear, to blow fire, to shock someone's insides at the touch of a finger. Kamiko had no kekkei genkai, no _specialty,_ just the pride and the drive to train and become better. Her parents—she realized—died the honorable death of a shinobi, a death in battle. They were the ones that fought and lived and died for the village, and despite what her father had wanted, she would fight and live and die for the village as well.

She spent hours memorizing the entire shinobi code, separated her heart and mind. She read through scrolls, and although she wasn't the brightest or most talented shinobi, she managed to hack through some remarkably high-level jutsu. Even through times of peace, she would take the missions that no one else would dare to take, kill without hesitation if ordered. When the Second Shinobi War arrived, she was not fazed. She fought and killed and did what was necessary. It was for the _village, _her pride and honor as a shinobi.

And with every day she slipped on her porcelain ANBU mask, she slowly began to forget the faces of the people she called mother and father, the memory drifting away in the void along with herself. She could feel it, something seeping from her very core, leaving her hollow and empty. Kamiko was a shell.

And she knew it.

* * *

The birth of the clan leader's first-born was a massive event amongst the Uchiha. It was, after all, the birth of an heir, the next leader of the clan. For Shisui, it was an event he was obliged to attend, even if it meant taking the day off from training Hotaru.

"Obito!" Shisui called out to his nine-year-old cousin across the street. The younger boy looked over and waved at him with a surprised look.

"Oh! Hey Shisui! Long time no see!" He bounded over to him with a grin on his face. "How's it goin'?"

"Pretty good, I guess. Hey look, I need you to do me a favor."

Obito looked up at his older cousin. "Sure thing! What is it?"

Shisui scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I can't train Hotaru since Fugaku-sama's son is going to be born today. Can you tell her that training is off today? She'll be in the fifth training grounds."

Obito's eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, I remember Hotaru! Sure, I'll tell her. Hey, maybe she can come training with me today!"

Shisui shrugged. "Sure. She could use some sparring practice."

The goggle-clad Uchiha grinned widely at his cousin. "Yoshi! Well, I'm off! See ya, Shisui!" He walked off and raised a hand in farewell. "Don't be late, Obito," Shisui called to his back.

The older Uchiha chuckled as he heard his cousin curse and trip as he began to run down the street.

* * *

Shisui was never late. In fact, he was always _exactly _on time, considering that he could practically appear on a whim in any place at any time if he wanted to.

So why was Hotaru sitting in the middle of the tree-lined field under the hot late-spring sun, drawing pictures in the dirt as she waited for her mentor to arrive?

_It's not like him to be late, _Hotaru mused to herself. _He's probably just a bit busy._

She drew a cloud in the dirt and counted. Seconds ticked. Minutes passed. Five minutes. Then ten.

The six-year-old was starting to get just a _little _irritated. Just a little.

After all, her mother had imposed upon her the importance of punctuality. "Be there when asked," she had said. "Treat timing like an order. Do not keep others waiting—it could mean the mission." Not to mention your pride and credibility, but she didn't need to mention that. Hotaru knew well enough.

_Eleven minutes and twelve seconds. Eleven minutes and thirteen seconds. Eleven minutes and fourteen seconds…_

* * *

Thirteen minutes and twenty-one seconds. That's how long it took for Obito to get from the Uchiha compound, help the old lady cross the street, eat a stick of dango, talk to Shisui, and remember that he was late just before dashing like a madman to training ground number five to meet a certain six-year-old girl.

He made his usual grand entrance, with his goggles crooked and arms flailing as his feet kicked up dirt and dust on the ground. With an apologetic smile, he stopped at where the little black-haired girl was sitting and looking up at him with a blank, slightly miffed stare.

Needless to say, she was not impressed.

"H-hey, Hotaru-chan! Remember me? I'm Obito!" The little girl nodded slowly. "Well Shisui can't make it today, since there's a baby being born"—this elicited a confused expression on Hotaru's part—"but he said that I can take you training with me today! Wouldn't that be cool? You'll get to see my team!"

She shrugged, but it didn't deter the Uchiha one bit. "You don't talk much do you? Well come on! I'm late already, we better hurry!" And with that, Obito hauled the girl onto her feet and dragged her off to where Team Minato was waiting.

* * *

Hotaru didn't know what to make of the Uchiha pulling her by the wrist as they ran to one of the other training fields.

She remembered him from the month before, randomly popping into her training session as she practiced flickering from one target to the next. Before she had met him, Hotaru had presumed that most—if not all—Uchiha were rather stoic and practical. Sure, Shisui could be prone to wisecracking and joked around sometimes, but he was levelheaded, calm, and quite prodigious, much like all the other Uchiha she sometimes saw in the village. Even her mother praised the Uchiha for their skills on the battlefield and their honor in tradition.

Obito though, was a mystery. He was clumsy, foolish, loud, and…not very Uchiha-like. Sure, his hair was black and his eyes were even darker, but anyone could tell that he wasn't the _normal _Uchiha simply by the way he walked.

She could imagine her mother's face if she saw Obito running around like he was now, with her in tow.

Hotaru was lost in thought when without warning, Obito came to a halt and she had to regain her balance from the sudden lack of movement. They stood in a clearing, not unlike the one she was at earlier, standing in front of a blonde man, a welcoming girl with chin-length brown hair, and an irritated boy with a mask.

"You're late. Again."

The boy with gravity-defying silver locks—the one with the mask—crossed his arms and looked at Obito with what could only be annoyance.

Hotaru saw Obito's face twitch slightly at the other boy. "Hey, I had other things to take care of!" The masked boy scoffed.

"Like what? Dragging around that brat?" _Brat? _Hotaru frowned as he pointed at her. She'd decided that she didn't really like that boy.

"Hey! That's my cousin's student you're talking about! She could kick your ass any day!"

"Hmph. As if. _You _think you can beat my ass, and yet you can't even lay a single hit on me."

"Stuff it, Hatake!"

_Hatake…_

"Obito-kun, Kakashi-kun, I don't think we should be fighting-"

…_Kakashi?_

"I _would _say 'stuff it Uchiha', but we all know you're barely an excuse for one."

"Why you-!"

"Okay, boys, that's enough."

The blonde man positioned himself between the two bickering boys that had slowly begun to inch closer and closer as they were arguing. Hotaru's thin wrist was still in Obito's grip, and she was standing discreetly behind the Uchiha, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

"Obito. Don't be late again," the man chastised the boy. The Uchiha looked down and nodded. The blonde man turned to the other boy.

"And Kakashi, that was uncalled for. You are in no position to talk to your teammate that way. Next time, let me take care of it." Kakashi stared ahead stonily, but gave a curt nod to his sensei nonetheless.

Once he finished reprimanding the two boys, the man looked past Obito to see the small girl peeking out from behind him. A smile grew on his face and his eyes were friendly as he knelt down to look at Hotaru. "Who do we have here?" Hotaru wriggled her wrist out of Obito's hold and started nervously playing with her sleeves.

Obito spun around to look at his sensei and the girl. "This is Hotaru. She's my cousin's student but he couldn't train her today, so he said I could bring her with me!"

Kakashi scoffed and the brown-haired girl eyed the Hotaru with curiosity. "Oh?" The blond man's eyes twinkled at the sight of the little girl. "Well, it's nice to meet you Hotaru." He held out his hand and Hotaru shook it politely. "I'm Minato. You can call me Minato-sensei." He motioned back to the two kids behind him. "That's Kakashi, the one with the mask, and Rin is the girl." Kakashi grunted and the girl with purple rectangular marks on her cheeks waved back to Hotaru with a small smile on her face. Hotaru waved back shyly, still standing behind Obito.

She decided that she liked Obito. And Rin. And Minato.

And Kakashi…well, she'd already had bitter thoughts on the boy _before _she had even met him, and meeting him now didn't exactly help.

He was the prodigy. The chunin. He stood up tall; his senses were always on alert, his face calm and expressionless.

The one whose father killed himself. The one her mother had always spoken of.

A small part of her before told her she shouldn't blame him for any of it, that it wasn't his fault that her mom compared him to her, that he wasn't his father. But it was there, the small lingering flame of envy and—dare she think it—hate.

And seeing him talk that way, the way he insulted Obito and called her a brat, well, that didn't really lift her opinions of him. She was still a child, after all, and insults were never taken lightly at that age.

_Stupid Kakashi._

"Well then," Minato said as he stood up, "let's get started! Obito and Rin, you guys go ahead and spar." Obito glanced hopefully at Rin who was too busy looking at Hotaru and Kakashi to notice. "Kakashi, go ahead and work on those lighting-infused kage bunshin." Kakashi frowned, but obeyed and set off to find a corner of the field. "Hotaru, why don't you and I talk for a bit? Maybe I can take a look at what you're working on." The little girl shrugged once again and followed the blonde man into the shade of the trees that lined the field.

"I've heard the Hokage mention you before," Minato spoke once they had stopped walking. "Apparently you're a very hardworking student." Hotaru bowed her head.

"Arigato, Minato-sensei."

The blonde man chuckled softly and ruffled the girl's hair. "No need to be so stiff, Hotaru." Hotaru cracked a small smile.

"See? There's a smile! Now, who's your teacher again? Was it…ah…?"

"Uchiha Shisui, sensei."

"Ah yes, Shisui. He's a rather accomplished shinobi for his age. So what has he been teaching you?"

"The body flicker technique."

Minato raised his eyebrows. "Really? Well, let's see what you've got then."

Neither of the two noticed Kakashi's gaze on them as Hotaru flickered back and forth around Konoha's Yellow Flash, nor did they see the electricity crackle along his arm as he began the long and arduous process of jutsu experimentation—a process that would take four years and a new eye to complete.

* * *

The cries of the baby were as clear and as loud as a bell.

Shisui watched in wonder as the future heir of the Uchiha clan was wrapped in a dark blue blanket, his eyes closed and wispy black hair curled on the top of his head. There were small trough marks from his eyes—from his father, no doubt. Only Fugaku could pass down stress marks, Mikoto was too gentle and kind-faced for that.

The nurse handed the small bundle to the mother whose face was a mixture of exhaustion, relief, and unconditional love. She rocked the infant in her arms carefully, looking up at her husband as she did so. The baby boy's cries softened until it was no more than the occasional soft whimper. His eyes opened to reveal an abyss of endlessly dark irises; beautiful, stunning eyes.

The baby gazed up at his mother, and then set his eyes on Shisui who was watching with his parents from the side of the bed. The infant stared and then blinked at him, and the young chunin couldn't help but feel a connection, a bond, with the newborn.

_Welcome to the world, Itachi._

* * *

She was dying. It was suffocating her, slowly, over the years. Gnawing at her insides, incinerating her brain, ripping at her soul. She wanted it to end. Why couldn't it just _end?_

She stared with dulled eyes at the old mask and her old, dulled tanto, gleaming in the moonlight. She swore to herself she wouldn't—and she _wouldn't—_she would never, not for as long as she remained alive. She would not tamper with the course of life.

And besides, she loved her daughter too much, her own flesh and blood, her pride and honor. She would not set the bad example, would not emulate the '_do not's _of her own teachings. It simply wasn't right.

But maybe there was another way. Six years of paid leave must be enough. Maybe if she went to the Hokage, took up one last mission, her final act, for the village—

_No. No. No._

Hotaru. Hotaru would be alone, no mother, no one to guide her along. She loved her too much. She loved her. She couldn't.

Love, love, _love. _After all this time, even with her emotions ripped from her and her heart punched into a hole, she could still love.

She could still love. She loved Hotaru.

_ Right?_

* * *

**A/N: **I liked this chapter. It was just fun to write. What do you guys think? Did you like it?

Anyways, for everyone who reviewed or favorite-ed or followed Firefly, I give you a **THANK YOU **and a cupcake *insert cupcake here*. Seriously, this has gotten more feedback than I hoped for, and to me, that's just awesome.

I hope you guys liked this chapter! Concrit and reviews are greatly appreciated.


	4. Seasons

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto and Naruto Shippuden belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The Hiroshis are characters I have made up for the purpose of this fanfiction._

Beta-read by: _GiuliaZe_

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR

_Seasons_

* * *

Hotaru hated summer. It was sticky and hot and humid and the trees had almost no flowers, and if they did have any, they were the ugly ones that stuck it out in the heat. Not to mention the mosquitoes that lingered around the training fields. They always bit her in the most irritating and uncomfortable places. Plus the heat made her sweaty and icky and her black long sleeve shirt would always cling to her in the most awkward of ways, but she would refuse change out of it since it was her favorite one. It resembled the plain shirts some of the chunin and jounin wore underneath their vests, minus the red swirls on the shoulders. The shirt was a gift from her mother on her fifth birthday. It was a bit big for her at the time, but now, exactly two years later, it fit perfectly.

The six-turning-seven-year-old girl stepped into the house drenched in sweat from training and the mid-August sun. She carefully slipped off and arranged her sandals by the door and headed into the kitchen where her mother was cooking.

Today was a special day. Her mother was cooking _unagi_, grilled eel—her favorite dish. Hotaru walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table as she watched her mother place the strips of eel on the grill. The only sound in the room was the sizzling of food.

It was strange, Hotaru noted, that her mother didn't ask how training went or when she would enter the chunin exams. By now she would have said something.

The silence was slightly unnerving, but Hotaru decided that it was a _good _silence, something she had never experienced before.

Hotaru watched her mother carefully take the eel off the grill and place it on top of the rice. Her stomach growled and her mouth watered as she walked over to the table with the bowls of food in her hands. Her mother placed the steaming bowl in front of Hotaru before placing hers at her spot and sitting down. The girl, being as well trained as she was, waited patiently for her mother to take her seat and start eating.

The woman sat down, but before she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat, she pulled out a box from underneath her chair and pushed it over to Hotaru.

"Happy birthday Hotaru," was all she said as she watched the little girl pick up the box carefully. It was no bigger than a shoebox and it was fairly light, its contents shifting as she picked up the box and set it in her lap. With a look of curiosity and slight apprehension, Hotaru gingerly lifted the lid of the box.

Only two things were inside: a mask, and a sealed envelope.

Hotaru picked up the mask with awe. It was one of the masks that the ANBU wore, porcelain, with red markings that made it resemble the face of a fox, or perhaps a weasel, she couldn't really tell. There were small cracks on the surface and the color, originally a pure white, was now stained with smudges of dirt.

The envelope, however, was the one that piqued the seven-year-old's interest the most. There were black swirling markings on it, and when she tried to open it, the paper wouldn't tear.

"It won't open that way," her mother said during one of her attempts to rip the letter open. Hotaru looked up in confusion. "You see the black markings? It's a seal." The girl frowned and placed the letter back into the box with the mask.

"Why did you seal it?"

Her mother smiled at her—it was weird, to see her smile. Her mother rarely did. It was artificial, almost _painful _looking, as if she wanted to smile but she couldn't since her muscles would not allow it. It was a rueful smile, like she wanted to say something, but whatever it was would have to wait.

"You will know in due time."

Hotaru's frown deepened but she didn't say anything as she closed the box and put it carefully under her chair. She looked at her mother who was gazing into space, her hands clasped in front of her, one of her fingers tapping against the other hand in thought. The strange silence from before seeped back into the room, filling everything in its wake as Hotaru began to eat her slowly cooling unagi.

The silence stayed.

* * *

"Sensei! I can do it now! I can do the great fireball jutsu!"

"Minato-sensei! I figured out how to heal it!"

"Look! Sensei look! I hit the blind spot!"

"I can heal people now! It's only small cuts, but I can do it!"

Dear God, they were _so_ _annoying._

Kakashi sat at the edge of the field, watching his teammates smother their sensei with their so-called accomplishments of the day. To the masked ten-year-old though, it was just a waste of time for him _and_ for his sensei. After all, Obito's "great fireball" was a mere puff of smoke and Rin's "healing techniques" only closed the tiniest of cuts. What use would they be in battle?

And quite frankly, if it didn't have anything to do with him, then Kakashi simply _did not care._

So he sat in the shade of the trees whose leaves were turning shades of red and orange, ignoring the others and practicing channeling lighting chakra through his arm. He could only send a few "pulses" of chakra at a time though, or he would either shock his arm or pass out from chakra depletion. Neither were favorable outcomes of course, since they would only hinder his training.

It had been around half a year since Kakashi had started experimenting with the technique of channeling lightning through his arm—half a year since Hotaru came with Obito to train. Of course, that was a minor detail that Kakashi didn't pay attention to, but he had to admit, Shisui had trained his student well. He had seen her a couple times practicing jutsu in some of the training fields by his house. The girl's body flicker was a decent speed now, albeit slower than his, and left no trace. Her ninjutsu was above par for her age, although, he did think the girl could use a bit more strength in her movements. She seemed to be a bit off balance and rather…scrawny looking. If she were going to participate in the next month's chunin exams, she wouldn't get past the field stage at this point, much less fighting someone one-on-one. He doubted her mentor would let her enter, and to his knowledge, he didn't. They both knew she wasn't up for it. The girl was like an escape artist—fancy but not flashy ninjutsu, quick, subtle movements, no real _presence_. She would make a decent spy or sideliner in a fight, but not a _ninja _ninja. No, the girl was too small and frail for that.

Not that he really cared. The girl was only a nuisance in his training, a brat that clung to Obito. He couldn't really take anyone like that seriously.

Not to mention the fact that he couldn't help but feel as if the girl didn't really like him…probably influence on Obito's part. But that couldn't be helped.

"Okay guys, that's enough for today."

Kakashi stood up, brushed himself off, and frowned. Their sensei was cutting off training early again—something he found rather strange and did not appreciate.

"Don't forget that tomorrow we'll be doing a patrol mission at the border, so be at the gates early," Minato called out. "That includes you, Obito." The Uchiha blushed in embarrassment and Kakashi scoffed quietly.

"All of you go home and get some sleep. I need you guys to be on guard tomorrow and fully awake. Got it?"

All three nodded their heads.

"Good. Well, I've got to get going. See you guys tomorrow."

And with that, the blonde man teleported off. Where, Kakashi didn't know.

"Eh?" Obito said confusedly. "He just leaves us like that? Where's he goin' off to anyways? He's been leaving kinda early lately." Rin nodded in agreement. Kakashi shrugged.

"Oh! Oh! You know what we should do?" the goggled boy asked excitedly as he flailed his arms around. "We should totally find out what he's doing! Wouldn't that be fun?"

Rin looked over at Kakashi who had an unamused look on his face. "Hmph," the masked boy said. "Like I care."

Well…he _was _slightly curious, but he wouldn't let Obito know that.

"Neh? Fine then, Kakashi. What about you Rin?"

The girl looked over Kakashi hesitantly. "Um…I don't know. Maybe some other time?"

Obito sighed dejectedly. "Oh okay then. Some other time. Well, see you guys tomorrow." The boy adjusted his goggles and walked away from the two other kids, shuffling his feet along the way.

Rin turned to look at Kakashi and opened her mouth. "Um…"

"What?"

The girl shrunk back slightly. "I was just wondering if you wanted to…um, walk home with me?"

Kakashi looked at her, his face holding no emotion.

"No."

A look of disappointment flickered across Rin's face. "Oh, okay then. See you tomorrow." She walked off, glancing back at him a few times. He could feel it, the stare on his back, but ignored her and began walking the other way to his home.

The path to his apartment was a short one. It crossed three training fields, one bridge, and an alleyway where a pesky black cat would always hang out. His old home—the house where he used to live in with his dad—was across the village.

He liked it that way. No memories to disturb him, no disgraces haunting his mind. The farther away, the better.

* * *

"Shisui-sensei?"

"Yeah, Hotaru?"

"You're not going to be able to teach me in a few months, are you?"

"No, Hotaru. You're going to be in a team with two other genin."

"Oh..."

"Yeah…"

The two sat on the edge of the bridge as the sunset reflected off the partially frozen river water. Their breaths puffed into little clouds of condensation. But despite the cold, they didn't feel it—the two had exhausted themselves in training and the biting wind did not faze their warmed bodies.

Nevertheless, when the wind came again, Hotaru moved in a little closer to her mentor and the older boy wrapped an arm around her thin shoulders.

"Shisui-sensei?"

"Mhm?"

"I'm going to miss you."

The only sound was the wind and Shisui's clothes ruffling as he scoots closer to Hotaru.

"I know. I'm gonna miss you too."

* * *

Winter passed with the breeze, and soon the ice thawed and flowers popped from the ground, their petals bright and vibrant. Spring had arrived.

It all came so fast for Hotaru. One day she was training with Shisui, figuring out how to teleport and blow fire from her mouth, and the next she's behind him walking back to the Academy to be sorted into a team.

It all came _way _too fast.

It was rather nostalgic though, seeing Kana-sensei in front of the class, announcing their teams.

"Team two: Hizeki Taro, Naka Jiroshi, and Mitarashi Anko."

"Woohoo! Team two! We're gonna kick some ass—right Taro?

"Anko! Sit down!"

"Yada-ya, sensei. I got it."

Hotaru watched from behind Shisui at the door, clinging onto his hand. It had been so long—almost a year—since she had been in the classroom. She had almost forgotten all of her classmates. The graduating class had less people in it, probably those that were good enough to graduate by now. Most of them were slightly older than Hotaru, around eight or nine years old.

She remembered Anko though. The girl was around a year and a half older than her and had a loud mouth and snarky attitude. She didn't really…mind her though. She was always _there. _

Team three: Nakahara Tadao, Hiroshi Hotaru…"

Shisui urged the girl into the class. "Go on, Hotaru." He let go of her hand and nudged her inside, and she shrunk back from the multiple curious stares and murmurs of confusion she got from the class at the mention of her name.

"…and Yamanaka Sato."

Hotaru was already halfway up the steps when she heard the name followed by the frustrated groan of the blonde boy. Yamanaka Sato—she remembered him too. He was pretty mediocre, towards the end of the class in rankings, but he wasn't a bad student in general.

She also remembered he had clan troubles.

There was an open seat by him in the back of the class, so she went down and sat by him. They were teammates now, after all.

It's not like she had anyone else to sit by.

Hotaru glanced back at her mentor who was standing by the door, giving her a small thumbs-up and a wide grin. Her lips tugged up in a small smile and she lifted her hand up to make a thumbs-up to signal back to him.

The announcements for the teams flew past Hotaru who had tuned out for the rest of the time, as she was too busy making faces and giggling at Shisui.

Oh, she was going to miss him so much.

When the time came for Kana to bid farewell to her students and for the jounin to come meet with the teams, Hotaru burst from her spot and ran down to hug the Uchiha. Her small arm wrapped around Shisui's waist in an awkward and slightly uncomfortable—yet endearing—embrace, and the boy bent down to hug her back. Kana watched from the hallway with a smile on her face, not that the girl and boy could see.

Hotaru sniffed, a small frown on her face. "I'll still see you right?"

Shisui nodded. "Of course. Maybe you could visit the compound sometime. There's someone I'd like you to meet there."

He gave Hotaru one last squeeze before releasing her. "I should go now. Your new sensei will be here any minute." Shisui ruffled the girl's dark hair—it reached her upper back now—and smiled at her. "See you later, Hotaru. Be good for your sensei, eh?" With one last hug and a thumbs-up from the Uchiha, Hotaru watched as Shisui flickered away.

She trudged back into class with a slight reluctance, but she didn't let it show as she sat down by her new teammates. Tadao had moved up to the back row to sit by Sato, leaving an open seat for her. The blue-haired boy looked up at Hotaru with a curiosity and slight skepticism.

"Hey, Hotaru," Tadao said as she sat down. "Didn't you drop out of class or something last year? How'd you graduate then?"

Hotaru twiddled her thumbs in habit. "I didn't drop out. I was pulled out. Then they put me back here to be in a team."

Tadao nodded. "Oh. I got it."

He clearly didn't.

The three children waited in an awkward silence, a stark contrast to the noise filled room they were in, as they waited for their jounin instructor to arrive.

And when he did, they were not disappointed.

A tall, buff man with brown, spiky hair walked into the room, casting a shadow over the children. Despite his size, his steps were silent and calculated, an aura of danger emitting around him. The room fell into a hushed silence.

Hotaru felt like it dropped a few degrees.

His voice rumbled as he spoke. "Team three."

She could feel Tadao cringe next to her.

Hotaru, Tadao, and Sato stood up and made their way down the steps and followed their sensei out of the classroom and onto a hill with a tree.

"Don't worry, there will be no examinations today," he said as he leaned against the tree and signaled for the three to sit down. "Those will be tomorrow."

All three genin gulped audibly.

"Well? Go on. Introduce yourselves. You," he pointed at Sato, "you're up first."

The blonde tensed. "Um…I'm Yamanaka Sato. I'm nine years old. I, uh, like to paint sometimes." He stopped there.

"That's it?" their sensei asked, his deep voice making all three shrink back even further. Sato nodded slowly.

"Okay then. Blue boy. You're next."

"Oh, uh, okay. My name is Nakahara Tadao. I'm eight years old. I like going out with my friends and…swimming, I guess."

Their sensei hummed a little to himself and turned to Hotaru. "Hm. Girl, your turn."

Hotaru crinkled her sleeves in her hands. "My name is Hiroshi Hotaru. I'm seven years old. I…"

She paused. She'd never thought about it before, but now that she was, she realized that she never really _did _anything.

"…don't really have any hobbies."

An awkward silenced followed.

The man heaved a deep sigh. "You guys are rather boring kids, you know that?" He crossed his arms and shrugged. "Well, my name is Notaku Shouro. I'm not willing to tell you my age. I enjoy training and decryption of codes. It's nice to meet you all, even if you are rather bland for my taste." He flashed a small smile to the kids.

"Ah well, I guess that's all for today since your examination is tomorrow. Go and…bond or something, I don't really know."

He teleported away, leaving the three kids staring at the spot where the tall man stood, each with the feeling of dread in their stomachs.

* * *

**A/N:** Awww! Shisui and Hotaru are adorable! But don't worry, Shisui's not going anywhere...yet.

I know I made Anko graduate early...and I'm sorry! I needed to though, kinda like how I stretched Shisui's age a bit. So for all you canon-lovers out there, I'm sorry!

Guys! I hit 500 hits! I know it's not much but it's a biiiiig deal for me! :D

Some of you may know about a little family Kakashi and Sakumo one-shot I wrote earlier this week called Limbo. I honestly think it's the best thing I've ever written and I would be really happy if you guys could check it out and (maybe) leave a review or two. I would really appreciate it!

Thanks for reading! Concrit and reviews are greatly appreciated.


	5. Team Three

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto and Naruto Shippuden belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The Hiroshis are characters I have made up for the purpose of this fanfiction._

* * *

CHAPTER FIVE

_Team Three_

* * *

Every jounin had their own way of testing their teams. Minato, just as his sensei and the one before him did, used the bell test, others had a mini game of capture the flag, and some simply sparred with their genin.

Notaku Shouro made his kids do manual labor.

"Take out the trash? _Take out the trash? _We're _ninjas, _not laborers!" Tadao huffed and crossed his arms. "This isn't even an exam. You _told _us we'd have an examination to see if we can become genin today! But _no-o, _Shouro-_sensei,_ you have us do your housework like slaves! Like, what kind of—"

"Tadao," Sato said as he picked up the plastic bag of trash. "Do us a favor and shut up."

"He's right Tadao," their sensei chipped in from the other side of the room as he flipped through a book and sipped on his tea. "Sometimes it's best to keep your mouth closed. I can fail you any time I want."

"Oh really? Well that wouldn't be fair! I could tell the Hokage!"

"Tadao. Shut up."

"Listen to your teammate."

"SCREW SATO!"

"Hmph. Very mature."

"Don't provoke him, Sato. And as for you, Tadao, you shouldn't be saying that at your age."

Hotaru listened to the three males bicker as she scrubbed the floors. She didn't really get why their new sensei was making them do his chores, but then again, she knew better than to question it.

"Sensei," she muttered softly to the large man once she finished cleaning. "The floors, windows, and kitchen appliances are clean."

Shouro raised his eyebrows. "So fast? Let me take a look."

Sunlight streamed in through clear windows, reflecting off the impeccably cleaned chrome stovetop. The white-tiled floor shone just as brightly as the chrome, and when their sensei looked down to inspect it, he could see himself look back from the floor.

Hotaru and her teammates followed Shouro into the kitchen, and when their sensei finally finished admiring himself in the tile and looked up at them, they were shocked—and rather frightened—of the Cheshire-like grin on the man's face.

"Now this," he said gesturing to the room, "is ninja-grade cleaning." Shouro winked at Hotaru, who cringed internally. "If you guys can get the rest of the house like this," the man said, "I'll pass you all. No questions asked. Hotaru, you can go take a break. Sato and Tadao, you guys better get to work."

No one argued. The team was put in a state of submission, and they eventually reasoned that cleaning was probably an easier exam than having to fight the mountain of muscle that was their sensei.

It took five hours of rigorous cleaning, continuous scrubbing, and constant arguing between the boys, but they passed. Hiroshi Hotaru was now an official genin of the official Team Three. And she couldn't be happier.

She was so happy, in fact, that she gave half of her portion of unagi at dinner to Sato (who had a sour face since he had to clean the bathroom when Tadao refused) and laughed when Tadao told a joke. All three males looked at her strangely when she did so—after all, the girl's laughter was seldom heard, let alone her smile seen.

By the time Hotaru got home, her mother was already in bed. Lately, it seemed that her mother's habit was to rise late and retire early. But all was well for Hotaru. She didn't really want to tell her mother she passed; after all, the only response she would earn is "When are you going to become a chunin?" And even if her mother didn't directly say so, she would hear "like Kakashi" lingering on the end of the question, taunting her. And then all she would be able to think about would be Kakashi, and how he was a chunin, and how she wasn't.

Kakashi. Hotaru hadn't seen him in _months, _and yet, he was always there. She had to stop thinking about him, somehow.

* * *

"Ho-ta-ru! Let's go out for lunch!"

Two weeks after they had passed their sensei's "cleaning test", Team Three was in full swing with training. They trained everyday from seven to noon and took missions every Wednesday and Saturday. Despite his laziness and overall lackadaisical-ness (as seen when he made his to-be genin team clean his house as their exam), Notaku Shouro was a good teacher, helping and pushing his students every step of the way. And although she no longer had Shisui to cling to, Hotaru had found some companionship in her teammates—namely, the blue-haired eight-year-old.

Tadao bounded over to his ink-haired teammate who was polishing her kunai underneath a tall oak tree. They had just finished training, and Hotaru, who was rather below par with her use of weaponry, had gotten her knives dirty when she accidently threw them into the ground rather than the target.

Hotaru looked up at the boy. "Where's Sato?"

Tadao scoffed. "Don't worry about that sour-puss! Come on! I heard there's a special going on at Hino's! There's going to be unagi and—"

The girl's head snapped up. "Unagi? Where?"

Her teammate rolled his eyes. "Yes! Unagi! At Hino's! Come on!"

Hotaru quickly gathered her weapons and carefully placed them into her pouch, wiping off the dirt from her blue shorts as she stood up and nearly tripping over a root in the process. She barely had time to regain her balance when Tadao grabbed her wrist and dragged her through the training field and through the streets until they arrived at the grill.

"Ah!" The boy exclaimed, his face flushed and panting. "We're finally here!" Hotaru just nodded, not looking the least bit exhausted.

The two sat down in front of the grill and ordered. A few minutes later, a plate of beef and a platter of unagi were set in front of them.

"Itadakimasu!"

"Itadakimasu."

With every bite of her meal, Hotaru was sent into unagi heaven. Dopamine swirled in her mind with every taste and all she could think about was the heavenly, savory-sweet flavor of the dish dancing on her tongue…

That is, until a certain voice pulled her out of her euphoria.

"Obito. Shut up."

Hotaru froze in mid-bite. Blood rushed to her face and her feet became twitchy. Tadao noticed the change in his teammate and nudged her.

"Hey! 'Taru! You alright there?"

The girl looked behind her at the street. The grey-haired boy wasn't there.

Hotaru shook her head. "I'm fine. Just thought I heard something."

Tadao frowned slightly but let it go. "Oh. Okay then." They were silent for a few moments until the blue-haired boy lit up and snapped his fingers. "I just remembered! I wanted to ask you if you wanna go to the festival that's coming up in a few weeks."

Hotaru looked up in thought for a minute and shrugged. Tadao took that as a "yes".

"Cool! Well, I gotta go or my mom will get mad at me for not taking care of the store." The boy shuddered at the thought. "She went berserk last time since I didn't clean the shuriken. Well, see ya around, 'Taru." He got up and sprinted back in the direction of his house.

As Hotaru looked at the boy's disappearing back as he ran down the street, she wondered how the boy got his endless reserves of energy. After pondering the question over a few minutes, she realized she'd probably never know. He reminded her of Obito—always smiling, slightly stupid, and cheerful.

She'd never understand how they could always be so happy.

* * *

"_TADAO!"_

The blue-haired boy froze in horror at the sound of his mother's voice.

"_WHY WEREN'T YOU BACK EARLIER? WE HAVE A CUSTOMER! GO SERVE THEM! __**NOW!**__"_

Tadao bowed stiffly at the fuming woman. "Y-yes, m-mother."

The boy walked into the back of the store and bowed to his dad, a thin man with light blue hair, who was busy crafting a sword. The man only shooed him off with his hand, telling him silently to "work, or face the wrath of your mother." Tadao nodded and walked to the front.

Standing by the display cases was a woman with pitch-black hair and blue eyes. The boy stood there gaping for a moment before remembering that the woman in front of him was a _customer, _and not a _painting. _

He climbed up on the stool behind the counter and waved to the woman who was busy looking at specialty shuriken. When the woman looked back at him, he was slightly startled by the strange expression on her face. It was blank, empty, haggard, and worn. But most of all, it was _tired._

"Oh, uh, welcome to Nakahara Weapons Shop. How may I help you today?"

The woman walked up to the counter and placed a bundle of cloth on the glass top. "I need this sharpened," she said. Her voice was quiet and hollow.

Tadao looked up at the woman and then looked back at the bundle in front of him. A string, knotted neatly in a bow, secured it. The boy untied the string and unwrapped the cloth.

A tanto—old, rusty, but well made—gleamed back at him. The Konoha symbol was carved at its base, and the handle was made to be held comfortably. Tadao narrowed his eyes. He had seen one like this before, a couple years back. His father had refurbished one identical to it. It was an old ANBU tanto.

He looked back at the woman. "When do you need it back?"

"Doesn't matter. Any time will do."

Tadao tapped his fingers against the countertop in thought. "Would three weeks from now be okay?"

The woman hummed. "That will suffice."

"That would be 2000 yen."

The woman paid, took one more long glance at the shuriken, then left.

* * *

Hotaru was walking down the back road on the way home when she saw Sato sitting in a tree. He was sulking (more than usual), and his blonde hair, normally tied back at the nape of his neck, was down and messy. At a closer glance, Hotaru could see that his eyes were red and puffy with streaks running down his cheeks. She wasn't very good at reading people, but even Hotaru could tell that the boy had been crying.

The girl didn't know what to do. She wasn't very adept at comforting people, let alone talking to them, and she knew that in most cases it was better to just leave the person alone.

But it was her teammate, and Hotaru decided that even if she wasn't very good at making people feel better, she would at least try to. After all, how would their team function properly if one of them were emotionally compromised?

Feeling determined, Hotaru quietly snuck over to the other side of the tree and began to climb it slowly until she got to the top where the nine-year-old was sitting. Trying not to startle him, she sat down by him silently and softly tapped him on the shoulder.

Her efforts to keep him from being surprised were in vain. The boy jumped in shock at the girls touch and hastily wiped the liquid from his eyes with his sleeve before turning to his teammate. "What do you want?"

Hotaru gave her signature shrug.

Sato sighed. "If anyone asks, you never saw me here." The girl nodded. "And I wasn't crying," he added hastily. Hotaru nodded again.

The two sat there for a moment before Hotaru lifted her hand and patted Sato's head in an attempt to comfort him. He stiffened but didn't protest, so Hotaru discerned that she must have been doing _something_ right.

* * *

Mitarashi Anko was…special. In her own ways.

At the Academy, she was the class clown (with surprisingly fairly decent grades). Always enthusiastic, slightly sadistic, and _very _energetic, her teachers recognized her as the black sheep of the class (not that she cared, though, since she was too busy clapping board erasers in their face to really give it any thought). She was spontaneous, witty, and eccentric all at once.

But above it all, she had the _worst timing ever. _

It was a rainy day and she had just finished having her midday dango. Being the absent-minded girl she was, she had left her umbrella at home and had to walk back in the rain. But instead of walking on the ground like a normal person, she had decided that it would be faster—and more fun—to go back by running on the roofs.

Normally, Anko wasn't a very clumsy person. She had passed her agility and balance tests at the Academy just fine and she didn't trip often. But being hopped up on sugar and dango while running on slippery roofs didn't help one's balance, and thus the eight-year-old genin ungracefully slipped from the top of the building and fell to the ground.

When she fell, Anko expected a thud and hard floor to her back. But all she got was an "oof!" and some sort of cushion underneath her, both of which were not from her.

Suddenly, the cushion rolled out from underneath her and stood up. It was a girl, and Anko recognized her.

"Ey!" Anko exclaimed as she pointed at the girl. "I know you! You went to the Academy!"

The girl simply shrugged.

"Yeah! Yeah, you're Ho…Hota…Hotano, Hotaro, Hotaku—"

"Hotaru."

"Yeah! That!"

"Yes."

"I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm—"

"Mitarashi Anko."

"Mit—hey! You remembered!"

The girl nodded and then proceeded to pick up her umbrella that had fallen when Anko landed on her.

Anko chuckled slightly. "Well, uh, again, sorry about falling on you. But, hey, at least you stopped me from breaking every bone in my back!"

Hotaru shrugged and stretched. "You're heavy," she muttered, twisting her back.

The older girl twitched. "Quiet, brat." She eyed Hotaru's umbrella. "Say, do you wanna walk home with me?"

"You just want to use my umbrella."

Anko put her arms up in defense. "Hey! I don't! I just wanna be friends!"

Hotaru looked at her blankly…

Anko looked back at her…

…And then proceeded to pull the younger girl along by her umbrella.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm back, motherduckers!

How long has it been? A month? Two months?

Two months!

Oh god, I had such a hard time writing this chapter. If you guys are disappointed I wouldn't be surprised :(

Anyways, if this chapter seems choppy to you, it seems choppy to me too. But honestly, there wasn't any other way to write it so it would fit for the next chapter (major plot twist coming up...mwahahahahaha!). Also, this chapter is slightly shorter than the other ones, and I apologize for that. Plus it has no Kakashi. That makes us all sad.

Thank you guys so, so, soooo much for reading (and putting up with my ridiculously slow updating)! Concrit and reviews are greatly appreciated.


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